Maryland Stadium Authority – Sandy Rosenberg

A week early

February 23, 2021 | by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

The Maryland Stadium Authority is highly regarded in Annapolis.

The success of the baseball and football stadiums prompted the General Assembly to give more projects to the Authority.

That’s why I proposed that the future of Pimlico Race Course be studied by the Authority.

Today, the architectural and engineering contract for the racing portion of the redevelopment project was awarded to a Baltimore firm, Ayers Saint Gross.

This design work is expected to take two years. Then a shovel will hit the ground, and a wrecking ball will hit the outdated spectator facilities.

Today’s award was a made a week early, however. The Authority normally meets on the first week of the month.

Since construction is centered around running the Preakness the third Saturday in May, that one week could make a difference. .

Another indication of why the Maryland Stadium Authority is highly regarded.

Maryland Stadium Authority selects architects and engineers for new Pimlico Race Course | Baltimore Brew

A Pimlico Community Compact

December 9, 2020December 9, 2020 | by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

More than a year ago, I began meeting with the neighborhoods on all sides of Pimlico Race Track. The goal was to create an advisory group for redevelopment decisions that affected these diverse communities.

Our discussions went very well. We called our written agreement a Community Compact.

In one of his last acts as Mayor, Jack Young announced the signing of the compact yesterday.

The Pimlico Community Advisory Board will consist of the neighborhood leaders that helped create the compact, additional community leaders, and an employee of LifeBridge Health.

Mayor Young and officials of the Baltimore Development Corporation, Park Heights Renaissance, and the Maryland Stadium Authority signed the document.

The board will provide input on the Pimlico redevelopment to ensure that it aligns with community interests, such as job opportunities, safety, and housing.

When the Board meets, I won’t have a vote, but I’ll be in the room where it happens.

Reasonable Adult Conversations

March 20, 2019 | by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

Nothing concentrates the mind like a bill hearing.

Ditto for a lawsuit filed by the City of Baltimore asserting that the bill introduced by the owners of Pimlico Race Track is unconstitutional.

City Solicitor Andre Davis said it more lawyerly: “We are going all the way to the extent we need to in order to have reasonable adult conversations about what is best for Baltimore.”

That would not be the first time such conversations take place.

The owners of Pimlico, the State, and the City of Baltimore paid for and were full participants in the Maryland Stadium Authority’s study of the future of the Pimlico site.

The study concluded that a work group consisting of those three parties should discuss how to finance the redevelopment of the property.

That’s been the City’s position since we introduced House Bill 1090, Maryland Stadium Authority’s Pimlico Race Course Study Workgroup.

A Baltimore Sun editorial also discusses the lawsuit.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-0321-pimilico-lawsuit-20190320-story.html

They’re off!

January 8, 2018 | by delsandy | Sandy's 2018 Legislative Diary | No Comments

Keeping the Preakness at Pimlico is again one of my top priorities this session.

I ran into a lobbyist who represents one of the interested parties. He gave me a piece of information. I responded with mine.

I told him that since we adjourned in April, I’ve been impressed by the interest of businesses and non-profits in developing the land adjacent to the race track. This would be in addition to renovating the racing facility.

Pimlico would become an economic engine year round, not just on Preakness Day.

I confirmed that the Maryland Stadium Authority is expected to approve Phase Two of its Preakness study at a February 6th meeting. A 30-day review and comment period by the budget chairs of the General Assembly will follow. The study is then expected to take 10-12 months.

All steps along the way to the necessary legislation at the 2019 session.